Page 16 of Escape to Egypt

“Jack, Bambi,” I called out, my voice shaky with excitement. “I think I’ve got something!”

They hurried over, Snickers chattering excitedly as he hopped from Jack’s shoulder to mine. I held up my notebook, pointing to the notes about the Vase of Hathor. “Hathor was associated with mirrors, right? What if the entrance isn’t where we think it is, but the opposite? Like looking at a reflection.”

Bambi’s eyes widened. “You mean, the entrance could be hidden behind something that looks solid, but isn’t?”

“Exactly,” I said, my pulse quickening. “We’ve been searching for something obvious, but what if the entrance is hidden by an illusion? Like a false wall or a disguised door.”

Jack nodded, his face lighting up with understanding. “It’s worth a shot. Let’s take a look.”

We moved to the section of the pyramid where the sunlight created deep shadows, our eyes scanning the stone blocks. I pulled out a small hand mirror from my bag, holding it up to the walls, trying to catch a glimpse of anything that looked out of place.

And then…There it was. In the reflection of the mirror, a faint outline appeared, barely visible to the naked eye. A seam in the stone that wasn’t there before. I pointed to it, my heart racing. “Look! The mirror shows the way!”

Jack shone his flashlight on the spot, and the seam became more pronounced, a perfect rectangle. He and Bambi pressed against the stone, and with a low grinding noise, the section of wall slid back, revealing a dark, narrow passage.

We all stared at the entrance in stunned silence for a moment. It was like something out of a dream, the kind where you find a hidden door that leads to a secret world.

“Holy Batman,” Bambi breathed, breaking the silence. “You actually did it.”

Jack turned to me, a grin spreading across his face. “Nice work, Charlotte. I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling back. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t get too excited. We’re not out of the woods yet. Remember, the key to the crypt holding the treasure at the end is the Jewel of Isis. If the treasure is real, and we locate the crypt and it’s empty, that means the thieves got there first. They could be long gone by now.”

Bambi clapped her hands together. “And if they’re not, we wait. And then it’s show time.”

I gulped, fear making my nerves as taut as the tightropes she was used to walking. We stepped into the tunnel, the darkness swallowing us whole. Jack led the way with his flashlight, the beam cutting a path through the black. The air was cool, a welcome relief from the heat outside, but it carried a musty, ancient smell that made my skin prickle.

As we descended deeper, the tunnel narrowed, forcing us to move in single file. The walls were lined with ancient carvings, hieroglyphics that seemed to tell a story, though I couldn’t read them. I ran my fingers over the symbols, wondering what they meant, what secrets they held.

“Everyone okay back there?” Jack called over his shoulder, his voice echoing in the confined space.

“Just peachy,” Bambi replied. “This is exactly how I wanted to spend my day.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Just a little claustrophobic. Nothing like being buried alive to get the adrenaline pumping.”

Jack glanced back, concern in his eyes. “We can turn back if you want, Charlotte. I don’t want you to feel like…”

“No,” I said firmly. “We’ve come this far. We’re doing this.” I wasn’t about to let a little thing like fear stop me. Not when we were so close to finding out the truth.

We pressed on, the tunnel opening up slightly, giving us a bit more room to breathe. The floor sloped downwards, and the sound of dripping water echoed through the passage. My heart pounded in my chest, a mixture of fear and excitement coursing through me.

Every step felt like a descent into the unknown, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched, that something ancient and powerful was waiting for us in the darkness. We were venturing into the heart of the Path of the Gods, and there was no turning back.

Chapter Nine

The tunnel stretched on and on, like the universe’s worst treadmill, each step sounding like an accusation in the silence. Jack led the way, his flashlight flickering as if it, too, was losing patience with how long this was taking. Bambi followed closely behind him, managing to look graceful even though we were all coated in a fine layer of dust that made me feel like a walking sandpaper factory. I was at the back, trying not to trip over my own feet while clutching my notebook and map like they were some kind of magic key that would unlock all our problems.

Snickers, sitting on Jack’s shoulder, seemed to be the only one enjoying himself. His little monkey hands were constantly in motion, fiddling with Jack’s hair, jacket, and occasionally trying to steal the flashlight. I swear, he was the only one having fun.

“Anyone else feel like we’ve been walking through this tunnel for about six months?” I muttered.

Jack glanced back, flashing me that infuriatingly charming grin. “If you’re lucky, Sweet Cheeks, maybe we’ll reach the treasure by next Christmas.”

Bambi sighed dramatically. “I’m more concerned about my hair than the treasure at this point. There’s only so much humidity a girl can handle before things start to look untamed. Did I mention that sometimes I also perform as a lion tamer?”

“Too bad you couldn’t tame me,” Jack chuckled.

Bambi harrumphed.

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